The Dickinson press., 1887-07-09
SENATOR STAMFORD.

SENATOR STAMFORD.
HOW A CALIFORNIA MILLIONAIRE
EARNED HIS FIRST DOLLAR.
A Speculation in Chcstnuts-Pickinc I'm
the Rutliments of an Education.A Job
of Cutting Wood-Almost an Editor.
To Golconia.
Discussing the story published the other
day as to how Abram S. Hewitt earned his
first money, an old Californian said: | was
talking with Senator Stanford OH that sub
Ject recently and asked him how lie earned
his first dollar. The senator smiled and TO-
Piled: II remember it just as we'll as if it had
occurred yesterday, and do not think there
mas ever been an event i'll my life that has
given ME so much qualification. was far
mcrs son, he continued, "and lived on INV
fathers farm in the Mohawk valley between
Albany and Schenectady, on what was then
known as the Consaul road. There were
three brothers of us. The eldest was o years
of age, the youngest was and | was tho
middle one, about years old at the time.
My father was a contractor, and was absent
from home n good deal of the time leaving
the place i'll charge of the gardener, who
went to the market Mt Schenectady twice a
week with wagon load of vegetables to sell
ut the market. One day my brothers and
myself gathered lot of horseradish in tho
garden washed it clean and sent it to market
With tho rest of the vegetables When he
came home at night the gardener handed US
slX York shil!ings, which was the profit of
our produce, and we divided it evenly. each
OF us having two shillnss. That was the
ilrst money l ever earned, and never STE a
boy trying to earn q few pennies without
ieel,hg renewed qualification ut my success
i'll that endeavor.
SUCCESSFUL SPECULATION.
My next financial endeavor," continued
1he senator, was i'll the following winter.
perhaps lit was the second winter after. /
don't rccolect certainly, hut it was in 1851 or
1907 we boys We're i'll the habit of gather
ing store of chestnuts every fall, and putting
'henl IN tho garnet for winters usc We man
aged that Year to get together about five BUSH
els ana that year cheStnutS We're very scnrce
one Ilay our hired man came home from
market and toll as n bit of gossip that chest
nuts We're worth So b,,slel in market w,
talked the matter over and concluded tl,nt
they were too expensive for our use so ,l,n
next time the gardener went to town we mt
what we had gathered in grain bags md srnt
them i'll by him. He sold them for 81 n
hushel md brought us home $21, which Won.
perhaps, can understand, was large sum of
money for boys of our age in those ,lays
Mheh grown men were working for two shil-
linGs day. 1t was the most successful snoc,,-
lation of my life.
Until went to Albany to study law. in
io4o, when was 2o years of age, l attended
thc country schools and picked lip the ,udi-
ments OF an education i'll them. bcius, for
tunatc IN having most excellent teachers. In
tho summer ] worked on tho farm md ot
times assisted my father in his contracts. sen.
ing little of tho world around me Ono
winter, when was about Is Years old. and n
stout, vigorous boy, my father bought a lot Of
woodland, and told mo that if | would cpt
tho timber off might havc the proceeds
went ut work with a WILL and cut 1900 cords
that winter-not alone, but with the assist
ance Of some men hired. When the wood
was cut hauled it to town and sold it to tho
Mohawk and Hudson River railrond now a
part OF the New York Central system. 1
made profit of 81 q cord on the transaction.
ana found myself the possessor of $4,000. 1t
was nls Job for boy Of my age, but got
e.1A""toAA "'eA ~ WtllouO ttlo slightest Ulfli-
Guilty, and was naturally proud of nv
achievement.
TAXING UP THE PEN
"Aftcr finishing my law studies in the Office
of Wheaton, Doolittle d Hadey in ALBANY"
continued the SENATOR "and being admitte,,
to the bar, got the western fever and started
with another young man to the northern
part of Wisconsin, where settled dow, to
the practice of law. was not very success
ful, and while waiting for the clients used to
write on political and other subjects. and
took great interest in the village debating
society and local politics. My writings were
SO much praised that got a notion that I
was cut out for journalist instead OF u law
YER ana there being no newspaper within
many miles of us, several of my fellow towns
men, who were similarly inclined, joined with
Inc III organizing n company for the purpes 80
OF publishing paper was to furnish most
OF the capital and to have charge of the en-
tcrprse | had very nurrow escape from
becoming an editor. But no man ever had n
greater respect for the power and tho influ-
ence OF the press rs ali educator and moral
engine than L. Well, we learned that there
was press and an outfit of type for sale in
milwaukee,, which could be had for 5000 We
raised the money to buy it, and started for
Milwaukee in wagon to fetch it home.
sit was u long and tedious ride, and Won
may imagine my disappointment upon INV
arrival ut my destination to find that the
press and outfit had been sold few days be-
fore, and that there was not another to be had
short of New York Tho expense of sending
for one and paying the freight, for transpor-
tation was very expensive in those days, put
suri, luxury beyond our reach am, the enter
fi;.is Vng al, 7
law, but soon after had another misfortune.
The lulding in which had my office burned,
and with it all my law books and worldly
possessions. l was almost hopeless then,
and gladly accepted an invitation from nv
brothers to join them in California, where
they had been engaged i'll business for several
years, and were very successful. This was in
~, four years after the discovery Of gold on
The Pacific slope, and packing up the few
things lad left, set out overland to the
GolcoIda. Arriving there, l settled in a
little town called Michigan Bluffs, in the rl,cr-
caHtile business, and three years later re-
moved to San Francisco, where have siuco
lived. Washington Cor. New York Sun.
AT the Trysting Place.
"Bcloved, dost know the icwsi Dost real
ize that my ninty hearted father has pur-
chased fierce and blood thirsty doga And
that this dog is even HOW prowling about the
house and may appear at our trystng place
at any moment? But thou dost love me dost